---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men's hearts ought not to be set against…"
description: "\"Men's hearts ought not to be set against one another, but set with one another and all against evil only.\" — Thomas Carlyle"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/thomas-carlyle-207_evil_men-s-hearts-ought-not-to-be-set-against_2475603.png"
---

#  Men's hearts ought not to be set against one another, but…

![“Men's hearts ought not to be set against one another, but set with one another and all against evil only.” quote by Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/thomas-carlyle-207_evil_men-s-hearts-ought-not-to-be-set-against_2475603.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/thomas-carlyle-207_evil_men-s-hearts-ought-not-to-be-set-against_2475603.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/thomas-carlyle-207_evil_men-s-hearts-ought-not-to-be-set-against_2475603.png)

> “Men's hearts ought not to be set against one another, but set with one another and all against evil only.”

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People should unite against evil rather than opposing each other, fostering solidarity to combat wrongdoing.

**In simple terms:** Unite against evil, not each other.

Key Takeaway

Promote unity against common threats.

Themes

solidarity unity morality collective action

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- political movements
- community activism
- team building

Key Concepts

social cohesion ethical philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we unite without silencing critique?
- What defines the “evil” to oppose?

A Different Perspective

Unity can suppress legitimate dissent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Hearts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearts/) [Hearts Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearts-ought-807886/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Hearts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-hearts-484421/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Set Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/set-evil-807887/) [Unity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unity/)

## Related quotes

> [We never find what we set out hearts on. We ought to be glad of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-never-find-what-we-set-out-hearts-on-we-ought-to-be-glad-of-that/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is a certain sign of a wise government and proceeding that it can hold men's hearts by hopes when it cannot by satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-certain-sign-of-a-wise-government-and-proceeding-that-it-can/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Ance a man-child has beaten his way to life under the heart of a woman, she is mither to all men, for the hearts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-stratton-porter/ance-a-man-child-has-beaten-his-way-to-life-under-the-heart-of-a/)

[Gene Stratton-Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-stratton-porter/)

> [I have become so great as I am because I have won men's hearts by gentleness and kindliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saladin/i-have-become-so-great-as-i-am-because-i-have-won-men-s-hearts-by/)

[Saladin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saladin/)

> [I know of no other country where love of money has such a grip on men's hearts or where stronger scorn is expressed for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-know-of-no-other-country-where-love-of-money-has-such-a-grip-on-men/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [Men's hearts are being searched...it is a tremendous sifting time, not only of actions but of inner motives. Nothing can escape the all-searching eye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bartleman/men-s-hearts-are-being-searched-it-is-a-tremendous-sifting-time-not/)

[Frank Bartleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bartleman/)

> [We do not see into men’s hearts. We cannot judge, and are indeed forbidden to judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/we-do-not-see-into-men-s-hearts-we-cannot-judge-and-are-indeed/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [“...Rise up and play Those liquid notes that steal men's hearts away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/far-d-al-d-n-a-r/rise-up-and-play-those-liquid-notes-that-steal-men-s-hearts-away/)

[Farīd al-Dīn ʻAṭṭār](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/far-d-al-d-n-a-r/)

> [“The Maker knows the motives of men's hearts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-maker-knows-the-motives-of-men-s-hearts/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [But the wicked passions of men's hearts alone seem strong enough to leave pictures that persist the good are ever too luke-warm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-the-wicked-passions-of-men-s-hearts-alone-seem-strong-enough-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [To lead, you must touch men's hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/to-lead-you-must-touch-men-s-hearts/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Good religious men, with the love of men in their hearts, and the means to pay their toll in their pockets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/good-religious-men-with-the-love-of-men-in-their-hearts-and-the-means/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Men's hearts are cold. They are indifferent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-s-hearts-are-cold-they-are-indifferent/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You men have none of you any hearts.' 'If we have not hearts, we have eyes; and they give us torment enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/you-men-have-none-of-you-any-hearts-if-we-have-not-hearts-we-have/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [Injustice boils in men's hearts as does steel in its cauldron, ready to pour forth, white hot, in the fullness of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-jones/injustice-boils-in-men-s-hearts-as-does-steel-in-its-cauldron-ready/)

[Mother Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-jones/)

## More by Thomas Carlyle

> [O thou that pinest in the imprisonment of the Actual, and criest bitterly to the gods for a kingdom wherein to rule and create,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/o-thou-that-pinest-in-the-imprisonment-of-the-actual-and-criest/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [Whose school-hours are all the days and nights of our existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/whose-school-hours-are-all-the-days-and-nights-of-our-existence/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [No sadder proof can be given by a man of his own littleness than disbelief in great men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/no-sadder-proof-can-be-given-by-a-man-of-his-own-littleness-than/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [Fame, we may understand, is no sure test of merit, but only a probability of such: it is an accident, not a property, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/fame-we-may-understand-is-no-sure-test-of-merit-but-only-a/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [The sincere alone can recognize sincerity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/the-sincere-alone-can-recognize-sincerity/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [Be a pattern to others, and then all will go well; for as a whole city is affected by the licentious passions and vices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/be-a-pattern-to-others-and-then-all-will-go-well-for-as-a-whole-city/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [The glory of a workman, still more of a master workman, that he does his work well, ought to be his most precious possession;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/the-glory-of-a-workman-still-more-of-a-master-workman-that-he-does/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [All human things do require to have an ideal in them; to have some soul in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/all-human-things-do-require-to-have-an-ideal-in-them-to-have-some/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [Insurrection, never so necessary, is a most sad necessity; and governors who wait for that to instruct them are surely getting into the fatalest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/insurrection-never-so-necessary-is-a-most-sad-necessity-and-governors/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [What is philosophy but a continual battle against custom?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/what-is-philosophy-but-a-continual-battle-against-custom/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [Let Time and Chance combine, combine! Let Time and Chance combine! The fairest love from heaven above, That love of yours was mine, My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/let-time-and-chance-combine-combine-let-time-and-chance-combine-the/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [Thought will not work except in silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/thought-will-not-work-except-in-silence/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [The public is anold woman.Let her maunderand mumble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/the-public-is-anold-woman-let-her-maunderand-mumble/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [Does not every true man feel that he is himself made higher by doing reverence to what is really above him?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/does-not-every-true-man-feel-that-he-is-himself-made-higher-by-doing/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [The press is the fourth estate of the realm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/the-press-is-the-fourth-estate-of-the-realm/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

[Explore all 917 Thomas Carlyle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

## More Evil quotes

> [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/)

[John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/)

> [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ Evil cannot be "treated" -- nor should it be. Evil has to \[be\] confronted and destroyed and it matters not why the evil is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/evil-cannot-be-treated-nor-should-it-be-evil-has-to-be-confronted-and/)

[Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/)

> [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/)

[James Nayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nayler/)

> [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/)

[Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/)

> [“Water is so friendly when you have it on your palms, but so evil when they have you on theirs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/water-is-so-friendly-when-you-have-it-on-your-palms-but-so-evil-when/)

[M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/)

> [THE ART OF PEACE is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-art-of-peace-is-not-easy-it-is-a-fight-to-the-finish-the-slaying/)

[Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/)

[Browse all 11,163 Evil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Men's hearts ought not to be set against one another, but set with one another and all against evil only.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Carlyle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/men-s-hearts-ought-not-to-be-set-against-one-another-but-set-with-one/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Evil"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/men-s-hearts-ought-not-to-be-set-against-one-another-but-set-with-one/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/thomas-carlyle-207_evil_men-s-hearts-ought-not-to-be-set-against_2475603.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/thomas-carlyle-207_evil_men-s-hearts-ought-not-to-be-set-against_2475603.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/thomas-carlyle-207_evil_men-s-hearts-ought-not-to-be-set-against_2475603.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Men's hearts ought not to be set against one another, but set with one another and all against evil only.” — Thomas Carlyle",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Thomas Carlyle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Men's hearts ought not to be...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/men-s-hearts-ought-not-to-be-set-against-one-another-but-set-with-one/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/men-s-hearts-ought-not-to-be-set-against-one-another-but-set-with-one/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
